TMC awareness and understanding of Network Infrastructure plays a role of importance and value associated with the business. With a Network Infrastructure architecture is well planned, designed according to standard hierarchical model Access, Distribution and Core layer will assume the role of backbone for enterprise networks.

1. Access Layer Attributes

Transparent Ethernet network access
o Wired 10/100/1000Mbps
o Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n
Simplified and flexxible design
o Layer 2 edge for applications that require spanned vlans
o Avoide Spanning Tree loops for resiliency
Policy enforcement point
o Secure network and applications form malicious attacks
o Packet marking for QoS
Advanced Technologies support
o Deliver PoE services: 802.3af(PoE) and 802.3at(PoE+)
o QoS enforcement to protect multimedia application

1.1 Access Layer Platform Options

 1.2 Quality of Service Overview

2.1 Distribution Layer Attributes

Primary function is access layer aggregation for a building or geographic area
Resilient design to reduce failure impact
Layer 2 boundary for access layer
o Spanning Tree Protocol boundary
o Broadcast packet boundary
o Provides load balancing to access layer
Layer 3 features and functions
o Default IP Gateway for L2 access layer
o IP Routing summarization to rest of netowork Efficient IP Multicast
QoS to mamage congestion caused by many to few links

2.2 Distribution Layer Platform Options

3.1 Core Layer Attributes

Primary function is distribution layer aggregation for large or geograaphically dispersed LAN deployment
Lowers the complexity and cost of a fully meshed distribution layer
Must be highly resilient with no single points of failure in design
No high touch/high complexity services
o Avoid constant tuning or configuration changes
Layer 3 transport
o No Spanning Tree convergence or blocking

3.2 Core Layer Platform Options

3.3 Collapsed Data Center and Campus Core

Data Center built on tiered approach
When Data Center and Large LAN are in same facility
o Opprtunity to combine operations
Can use DC Core Nexus 700 to buid the Campus two box routed core
Virtual Device Context (VDC) on Nexus 7000
o Can build multiple virtual switches on single platform
o Useful if Data Center Core and LAN Core are different control domains